Hearts of Gold In a Sea of Sand
by BlackxTigris
Summary: One of Sec Duat's dancers has gone missing in the Sandsea. Bribed by a large sum of reward money, Zhoom ends up taking the job of tracking her through the vast desert. Easy job, easy money, right? Wrong. Zhoom/OC
1. The Assignment

Footsteps echoed through the great hall of Sec Duat as a dark-haired man strode toward the king's throne.

"Zhoom! There you are! How is my faithful ranger?" the king called to the man. The dark haired ranger, Zhoom, stopped at the throne and gave a bow.

"You called for me, your highness?" Zhoom asked the king,

"Yes, I did. I'm in need of a good tracker," The emperor rose from his throne and stepped down by the young ranger, "One that is worthy of the job." Zhoom nodded.

"I'm here to serve you. What am I tracking?" He couldn't see the Emperor's expression behind his golden mask, but Zhoom could tell he was pleases.

"Good, good. One of my slave girls, Aveline was her name, escaped a few days ago. How about it?" The king looked at him eagerly. With a furrowed brow, the ranger glanced at the half-dozen other belly dancers around the king's throne.

"Don't you have enough, my lord? It's only one girl." The king looked at him, astonished.

"Oh, but Aveline was by far the best. You know, a king likes his women!" He nudged Zhoom with his elbow. The ranger flashed a fake smile, holding back his anger. He usually didn't object to the king's way of ruling, but he just couldn't stand the use and disrespect of women in Sec Duat's palace.

"So what do you say? I'm willing to pay a hefty price to get her back." Zhoom sighed.

"Alright. I'll do it for you, My King," he said, his face black, and emotion unreadable. The king clapped the ranger heartily on the back.

"That's wonderful! You're a good man, Zhoom. Now, I believe she fled into the western ruins. She has dark hair, sort of shoulder-lengthish. Your age, I suppose. One of the most beautiful creatures you may ever set eyes on! You'll know her when you see her," the king said, leading Zhoom towards the door.

"So how long ago did she escape?" the ranger asked.

"Oh, 5 or 6 days ago." Sec Duat replied. Zhoom turned to him, astonished.

"Five or six days?! That's quite a while! How fit is she?" he asked.

"She's a tough one. Rather fit. One of the best dancers I have! She could be well on her way. I did call for you 3 days ago. That's when my men lost her trail. I believe you were hunting down a member of the resistance at the time," the king replied.

"Oh. I guess I _was_ busy then." They reached the door, and Sec Duat opened it for Zhoom. "I'll have her back for you as soon as I can." The ranger replied,

"That's a good man. I know you'll succeed. Farewell!" Zhoom gave a sharp nod, and exited the palace. He gave a sigh as he mounted his horse. The ranger headed toward town, a grim expression on his face.

* * *

Aveline stumbled and fell, the hot sand scorching her skin. She winced, and scrambled for the cool sand in the shade of a ruin wall. The girl collapsed, breathing heavily, exhausted. She had been running for days, and her supplies were running low. The dancer lay there for a while, chest heaving as she caught her breath. Finally, she heaved herself up, winced, and fell heavily against the wall. The bells on her outfit jingled as she clutched the reopened wound that she had obtained from a stray monster. The girl angrily wrenched all the bells off, throwing them each on the ground. She pushed herself from the wall, and trudged onward, praying for some kind of miracle to help her out of here.

* * *

Zhoom had been tracking the dancer girl for a few days, still hot on her trail. By the look of it, the ranger could tell she was tiring out. _I have to find her fast, _he thought to himself, _before it's too late. _He followed some peculiar tracks, looking as if she was crawling over to a ruin wall. He kneeled down, and picked up a small silver bell. More were scattered in the sand, along with drops of dark red. The ranger examined the splotches, eyes widening. _Blood. She's injured,_ He thought. Zhoom sprang up, and quickened his pace. He did NOT want to find her dead. Sec Duat would not be happy in the _slightest._

A few days rolled by, and Zhoom was still tracking the dancer in the ruins. He paused, his acute hearing picking up a faint noise. Shuffling footsteps. Shuffling _tired_ footsteps. The ranger stealthily sped toward the sound, peering from behind a wall to see what it was. It was a girl. Dark hair, shoulder length, tanned skin, and black tattoos around her eyes. _That fits the description,_ he thought. She _was_ quite beautiful. Sec Duat must like her a lot. She wore a previously elegant belly-dancer outfit, now tattered a bit. Her face was dirty, her hair was matted, and her eyes were red. Zhoom led his horse to a wall and tethered it there. He watched the dancer girl for a moment, then leaped stealthily over the wall. He sprinted down to where se was slowly headed, and scaled the wall again, ending ahead of her. The ranger stood stalk still as the girl trudged past him, unaware of his presence. With the speed of a cobra, he lunged and grabbed her arm, spinning her around and using his body to pin her against the wall. She gave a cry mixed with pain and surprise. Aveline reacted quickly for her state and elbowed him sharply in the stomach. He gave a low "Oof!" and pinned her hands above her head. The ranger ground his knees into the backs of hers, stopping her from kicking him. She struggled weakly underneath him.

"Please! Don't make this hard on yourself!" Zhoom panted in her ear, "I don't want to hurt you! Sec Duat wants you back." She struggled more fiercely at the name of the king.

"I'm never going back!" she said in a hoarse, cracked voice.

"I know it must be bad! I hate what he does to you women, but I'm being paid a lot for this. Please! I don't want to hurt you!" he repeated. "I have food. And water. You need to eat something." Aveline stopped struggling and went limp, her exhausted muscles getting a rest. The world started to spin before her eyes, finally settling on black. The dancer passed out from the sudden over-exertion. Her head flopped back onto Zhoom's shoulder.

"Crap, no!" he exclaimed. Carefully, the young ranger took his left hand off her arm and wrapped it around her mid-section to keep her up. Using the wall to help hold her there, he put his other arm around her waist. Warm liquid ran underneath his arms. Startled, he looked down to find his arms covered in blood. "This just keeps getting better," Zhoom muttered as he lifted Aveline up. He carried her over to his tethered horse. He glanced at the sun, then at Aveline. "We should get her out of the sun, eh boy?" he said to his horse. It snorted, and started to nuzzle him affectionately. "Heheh, all right you big brute. I'll need your help, though. Do you think you could carry her for a while? Just until we reach the oasis." His horse gave a whinny and continued to nuzzle him for attention. "I'll take that as a yes." Zhoom got Aveline on the horse, and climbed up behind her. His horse gave a snort in protest. "Oh, shush," he muttered, "It's only until I stop this bleeding. Gotta keep her away from the sand. HYA!" He kicked his horse lightly in the sides. It tossed its head, and started off at a trot. He reached around Aveline and took the reins with one hand, and circled the other around her waist, above the gash in her side. He directed his horse to a building that was more intact than most. He ducked his and Aveline's head down as they passed under the high doorway. The wind wasn't kicking up sand too bad in here. The ranger reached around and fished in the saddlebag for a piece of cloth and a canteen. He dampened the cloth, and started dabbing the bloody and gritty wound on Aveline's side. He cleaned it up nicely, for the most part, and dressed it with strips of linen. His horse stamped its hoof impatiently.

"Almost done, boy," Zhoom told it. The young ranger put a cool, damp cloth to Aveline's head, and got a few sips of water down her throat. Zhoom hopped off his horse's back, and took the reins. He led the horse slowly out of the house, keeping a careful eye on the slouched form of the dancer girl. Her lowered head swayed with the slow movement of the horse's walk, and her form slowly started to slide off the horse. Zhoom, anticipating this, moved beside the horse and gently pushed her back into her slouched sitting position. The young ranger kept a hand on her leg, walking along beside his horse.

"The oasis isn't far, now," he told the animal, patting its neck with his free hand. "We'll restock our supplies, and you can drink all the water you want." The small group continued their journey through the ruins of the SandSea, the sun high overhead.

They had been traveling for hours. The sun was low in the sky, and the shadows were getting longer. The temperature had started to drop, and Zhoom had a long cloak around him.

His horse snorted nervously. It stopped, and its ears swiveled around. It turned its head and stared behind it. Zhoom looked back as well. Along with a high-pitched whirring sound, a dense cloud of sand was moving towards them.

"It's a sandstorm, boy." He rubbed the horse's neck briefly, then put his hood up. The storm hit with surprising force, driving at their backs from behind. Zhoom looked up at Aveline. The sand was pounding harshly on her bare back. He made a quick decision and mounted his horse behind her, shielding her back from the tearing sand. He reached around her and took the reins.

"We have to get out of this and set up camp!" he shouted to his horse above the roar of the storm. He kicked the horse's sides, and they were off at a gallop. Zhoom's keen eyes searched for a shelter in the low visibility. Since they were in the ruins, it wasn't hard to find a large wall that blocked the wind and sand. Zhoom guided his horse behind the wall. It shielded them from the storm nicely. Zhoom set up a tent, using old slabs of stone that he found to hold it down. It was starting to get dark, and it was getting cold. After feeding and watering his horse, Zhoom lifted Aveline off the horse. He carried her carefully into the tent, and laid her down on a pile of blankets. The ranger lit a lantern and seated himself on his own blankets in front of the doorway, preventing anything from coming in or going out.


	2. Honor

Aveline awoke, her eyes slowly coming into focus. She was in a tent. Warm blankets covered her, and a lantern in the middle was lit so she could see. There was a man sleeping by the exit of the tent. Seeing him startled her, and she tried to scramble farther away. Pain hit her like a lightning bolt, and she gasped and fell back down. The man's eyes snapped open, and he lifted himself up with his hand. At first, she was captivated by him. He had tanned skin, with black tattoos on his arms and around his eyes, similar to Aveline's. He had long raven hair, and he looked at her quizzically with gorgeous deep green eyes. Then she remembered he was taking her back to the king.

"Nice to see you finally came to. I was starting to get worried," he said to her, "Be careful, you're pretty battered." The girl lifted herself up weakly, the blankets falling off her torso. She looked down to find she wasn't wearing her torn belly dancer outfit anymore. Bandages were wrapped around her chest and right shoulder, her right arm, and around her mid section. Wrenching the blankets over her, she painfully crawled away from him and looked at him fiercely.

"Pervert!" she snapped at him. He leaned back on his elbows, eyebrow raised, an amused look on his face.

"Well, aren't you a friendly one?" he said. "It was necessary. It was either that or you get an infection. I didn't wait for you to make the decision." She still scowled at him from across the tent. "Besides," he continues, "I doubt you know how to properly clean and dress wounds." The man reached into a bag and pulled out a small loaf of bread, dried fruit, and a canteen. "Here. You need to eat, Aveline." She stared at the food and water, realizing how hungry she was. The starved girl scrambled to the food, ignoring the pain, and started eating with the gusto of a ravenous wolf.

"Easy, killer. Food's not going anywhere," the man told her, amused. Aveline uncorked the canteen and took giant gulps of water. "My name's Zhoom, by the way. Just in case you were wondering," he said to her. She handed him the half-empty canteen, and began to eat the fruit at a slower pace.

"Zhoom?" she said.

"Yeah?"

"If you don't like what the king does to us, why don't you put a stop to it?" Aveline asked him. Zhoom sighed.

"Because I have an allegiance with the king. It keeps the gold coming, too," he told her. She looked at him with disgust.

"Shouldn't we fight for what we believe is right? And fight against what we know is wrong?"

"That depends," he told her.

"On what?!" she said angrily. Zhoom stared thoughtfully at the ground.

"On honor," he said softly. Her anger faded as she saw the distant look in Zhoom's deep green eyes. Her gaze roamed to his pointed ears. Her eyes widened.

"Zhoom! Are you a Sand Elf?" Aveline exclaimed. He looked up.

"Partly, yes. My mother was a Sand Elf." The girl leaned in, fascinated, and examined his ears.

"I thought Sec Duat XIV had them all killed? I can't believe I'm talking to one!" Zhoom gave a laugh.

"Haha! I've never gotten THAT reaction before!" he said, smiling. Suddenly noticing that she was beaming like an idiot, she caught herself, and a frown returned to her face as she thought, _what the heck? What am I doing? This man's taking me back to the king! _She looked back at Zhoom. His head was tilted to one side, and he looked at her, puzzled. Aveline looked away. No matter what she did, she just couldn't hate him.

"Everything all right, Aveline?" he asked. Her eyes flickered to his.

"Y…yeah, it's fine. So, uh, what happened to your mother? If you don't mind me asking," she said. He shook his head.

"No, it's fine. She was killed a long time ago. I had to learn how to survive and fend for myself at a very young age." He sighed. "Those weren't the happiest days of my life." That distant look returned to his eyes, and Aveline felt sad for him.

"Oh, I…I'm so sorry, Zhoom." She looked to the ground, "That's terrible…" Zhoom looked at her, a small smile on his face.

"It's all right. That was in the past. Now is what matters." Aveline felt anger building up inside her.

"Rrrrrrrrrggg! That's so awful! Why would the king do something that stupid! What right would he have, slaughtering an entire race! Zhoom, how can you stand working for him, knowing all the things he's done? Don't you want to avenge your mother? Your people?" Zhoom's head snapped in her direction, and he stared at her with an intense gaze.

"My mother taught me about honor before she died, and how important it is! I promised to get you back to Sec Duat, and I plan on keeping my word!" Aveline angrily looked away from him, teeth clenched. She pulled the blanket more tightly around her, and kept her eyes averted from Zhoom's. He softened his gaze.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled," he said softly. Aveline looked at him, her angry features fading as well.

"It's ok," she told him, then looked away again. The ranger smiled.

"Hey, how about I make a deal with you?" he asked. The girl looked at him curiously. "If you come back to the palace easily, no fights, no trying to escape, I'll split the reward with you, 50-50." Her eyes widened. "I might even try to persuade the kind to treat you guys better. You're a pretty unique person. I wouldn't want you hating me the whole journey back. You know how I'm big on the honor thing." Aveline stared at him, astonished.

"Are you serious? 50-50?!" she asked.

"Yep," the ranger said, "I still have a lot of money from tracking down all those rebels, so it's okay. Deal?" Zhoom held out his hand.

"Deal," Aveline replied, taking his hand and shaking it.

"I promise to help you with a better life," he said, her hand still in his.

"Thank you, Zhoom. This means a lot to me," she told him. He let go of her hand.

"You should get some sleep. We'll reach the oasis tomorrow." She nodded, and crawled carefully over to the rest of her blankets. The Sand Sea was rather cold at night, and she gratefully burrowed under the blankets. It didn't take long for the exhausted girl to fall asleep.

Zhoom sat in his place by the entrance of the tent, wide-awake. He was watching the sleeping form of Aveline. She was buried under a mound of blankets, and the mass rose and fell with her slow and steady breathing. With his chin perched on his fist, he watched Aveline thoughtfully. Part of him wished that she would get up and leave the tent, run far away from the king and the Sand Sea. But another part knew he had to get her back to the king, had to keep his word. Then there was the small part of him that wanted to run away from the Sand Sea with her. The ranger sighed, and let his mind wander to all the different places they would go, and all the things they would see. He shook his head, and stopped himself from thinking about it anymore.

"Gah, what is this?" he muttered quietly to himself. He had only gotten to know her for a day. It wasn't her beauty. No, he knew a lot of pretty women. He wasn't attracted to women on looks alone like that. He seemed to be attracted to her unique personality. Aveline shifted in her sleep, her head and shoulders becoming visible as she turned on her back. Then, wincing in her sleep, she turned on her left side, facing away from Zhoom.

_Yeah_, he thought, _Her personality_. Like a moth to the flame, the young ranger was drawn to her fierce personality and free spirit. She knew what she wanted, and she wasn't afraid to fight for it. That's what made her so... compelling.

She began to shiver in her sleep. Zhoom picked up one of his blankets, and moved beside Aveline. He draped the blanket over her other ones, and pulled them more snugly around her. He sighed as he looked at her.

"Don't get attached, don't get involved," he whispered to himself. He gave Aveline a hesitant peck on the forehead, and headed back to the rest of his blankets. The tired ranger flopped down, and covered himself up. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	3. Love

Aveline's eyes fluttered open. The lantern was out, and Zhoom was still asleep. Soft light peeked through the slits of the tent entrance. She lifted herself carefully up with one hand, and brushed her dark hair out of her eyes with the other. The girl tilted her head curiously to the side as she looked at the tent entrance. She had never been out in the Sand Sea like this before. Wincing, she moved into a crouching position and carefully stepped over Zhoom's sleeping form. She slipped carefully out of the tent, and stood in awe at the sight before her. The sky was a soft gold, and so was the vast spread of sand all around her. Everything was quiet and still. It was not too hot and not too cold, with the occasional cool breeze gracing her skin. She didn't know the desert could be this beautiful. It was difficult to tell where the ground ended and where the sky began, but Aveline could see the haze off in the distance, above the horizon. She turned slowly, looking at the vast golden ocean all around her. _No wonder it's called the Sand Sea,_ she thought. She was grateful for this small time of freedom, not cooped up in the palace.

Aveline spotted Zhoom's horse, staring quietly at her with solemn amber eyes. It was tethered near the tent. She slowly walked over to the large animal, and hesitantly held up her hand. The horse's nostrils twitched, and it nuzzled its nose into her hand. The small whiskers tickled, but as she stroked its nose, she found it was extremely soft. She ran her hand up between its eyes, and scratched the splotch of white fur on its forehead.

"You're very pretty, she crooned. The horse gave a snort, blowing a gust of warm air onto her face. It nuzzled her cheek with its soft nose.

"Aren't you sweet!" she told it as she stroked its neck. A commotion from the tent startled her and the horse, and she turned to see what it was. The tent shook, and Zhoom came crashing out. He tripped, tumbled, and landed at Aveline's feet. He looked up at her from the ground.

"Ouch… Good morning!" he said, "I thought you escaped." She stared down at him and shook her head.

"Nope! Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling down.

"Never better!" he said, smiling up at her. The girl chuckled, and offered him a hand. He took it, and she helped pull him up.

"We better get started for the oasis while it's still cool," the ranger said. Aveline nodded, brushing sand off of Zhoom's shoulders and back.

The dancer helped Zhoom pack up the tent, and they were soon off. The small group walked on through the Sand Sea, Zhoom leading the horse and Aveline walking beside him. They had been walking a few hours, and the sun was over the horizon. With it came the heat.

Aveline touched her hand to her mid-section. Her wounds had started to hurt after they set out. She walked a few paces behind Zhoom, so he wouldn't notice. The girl didn't want him to know. He had already done so much for her.

A sharp pain jolted through the dancer, and she let out a small gasp, clutching her stomach. Zhoom took a glance in her direction, a look of concern on his face.

"Are you okay?" the ranger asked. The girl snapped her arm to her side and flashed him a small smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she told him. He raised an eyebrow at the girl, and turned back around. Aveline winced and bit her lip as another pain shot through her. It was getting worse with every step. The world danced before her as she started to get dizzy. Aveline gasped as she suddenly stumbled and fell, the hot sand meeting her. Zhoom was at her side in an instant.

"You're definitely NOT okay," he stated, looking down at her with concern in his eyes.

It's the wounds," the girl said through gritted teeth. The young ranger placed Aveline's arm around his shoulders, and helped her stand. Her legs felt like rubber beneath her. Zhoom leaned her against the horse so she would have better balance. Aveline brought her hand up from clutching her side, to find that it was smeared with her blood. The wound had reopened. Zhoom noticed this, too.

"We'll have to change the bandages," he told her, already rustling through a saddlebag. He pulled out some white bandages. Aveline waited patiently as the ranger removed the now bloody bandages from her stomach and back. He carefully spread some herbs on the new bandages, and Aveline winced as he spread them on her open wounds. Zhoom carefully placed the white bandage on, and started wrapping it around her stomach, back, and over her shoulder. He tied it off near her collarbone, and his hand hesitated as it brushed against her bare skin. Butterflies erupted in the girl's stomach, and the pain was forgotten as Zhoom stared down at her, hesitantly placing his hand against her neck. He moved his thumb up, tracing the underside of her jaw line. Goosebumps broke out over her skin as she stared up into Zhoom's emerald eyes, which were transfixed on her golden ones. Aveline pressed closer against the horse as the ranger leaned toward her. He stopped, his face a mere centimeters away from hers. Ever so slowly, he leaned even closer in.

"Zhoom, Aveline whispered, his bottom lip brushing against hers, "We cant…" she whispered to him, "What would the king do to us?" The ranger stopped, then stepped back away from her, sliding his hand of off her neck.

"Sorry," he told her, looking away from the dancer, "I-I don't know what I was doing." Aveline's heart ached as he turned away from her. She couldn't get involved with this ranger like that, couldn't fall in love with him. But she couldn't stop her skin from tingling where he had touched her.

"I'm sorry," he apologized again, turning back to her.

"It's fine," she told him, looking away from his emerald gaze.

"You should ride the horse," the ranger told her. Aveline nodded in agreement, and Zhoom stepped over to her. The girl's heart ached again as he gently placed his hands on either side of her waist. His eyes never left hers as he lifted the girl carefully on the horse's saddle. His hands didn't' move from her sides as he stared longingly up at her. Neither of them said a word as Aveline looked into the sand elf's green orbs, filled with sadness.

"You're right," he finally said, "I can't do this to the emperor. What would that say about my honor?" He continued staring up onto her eyes, and Aveline hesitantly placed her hand on the side of his face. The ranger sighed, and slowly closed his eyes. Aveline ran her fingertips across his cheek, and traced the black tattoos around his eyes. He opened them, looking away from her, and slowly stepped back, her hand sliding off his cheek. Zhoom took the horse's reins, and led it along. They continued on through the desert, both the dancer and the ranger's hearts heavy with sadness.


	4. Desert Oasis

The sun was high overhead, and the group had been traveling for a few hours. Aveline sat atop the horse, scanning the desert with her arm up to shield her eyes from the sun. Zhoom was leading the horse, which clopped at a moderate pace through the sand. A glint far ahead caught Aveline's gaze, and she sat up straighter. She spotted some green among the gold.

"Zhoom… is that the oasis?" she asked, pointing towards the glimmer. He gazed in the indicated direction.

"Yes, it is," his emerald eyes moved up to her as he answered. "We'll be there soon."

True to his word, they reached the oasis in a matter of minutes. Great palm trees and other various desert plants lined the water. The horse's ears perked as Zhoom leg it past the protection of trees. It gave a whinny as it tossed its head and flicked its tail, then broke away from the ranger. Aveline gave a laugh and entwined her fingers in its mane as the beast trotted across the soft grass to the water.

"Hey!" Zhoom called after the horse, which was already drinking greedily from the pool. Aveline chuckled and patted its neck as Zhoom appeared at her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She smiled, giving a nod.

"Yes, I'm fine." The ranger offered her a hand, and helped her down from the horse's back. Once on the ground, Aveline looked around at the protected oasis.

"It's beautiful," she stated.

"Yeah, it is," Zhoom agreed, his eyes never leaving the dancer. Aveline walked to the edge of the water and knelt down. She scooped up the water and brought her cupped hands to her lips.

"Mmmm," she sighed, the refreshing liquid quenching her thirst. Zhoom stood beside her, a blanket in his arms. The ranger spread it out beside Aveline.

There's a fruit here that will help with the healing of your wound. If you would," he motioned toward the blanket. Aveline sat cross-legged on the cloth, watching Zhoom as he shinnied up a nearby tree, a knife clamped between his teeth. He hacked at a branch, descending with a red fruit. The ranger sits opposite of Aveline on the blanket, and split the strange fruit with his knife. The girl watched curiously as he plucked a few green seeds from the plant. He popped them in his mouth and started chewing. The ranger moved onto his knees. Aveline mirrored him, and he began unwrapping the bandage from her middle. The ground-up seeds were lathered onto a gauze pad. Zhoom pressed it over her side, and the dancer bit her lip as it stung.

"Sorry," he said, quickly wrapping her middle up tight with strips of white cloth.

"It's fine," she assured him, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," the ranger said, staring into her golden eyes. Aveline felt the familiar ache in her heart, and tore her gaze from his. The ranger stood.

"I'm going to collect food for the journey back to the palace. Just rest, alright?" Aveline nodded and flopped on her back, staring at the clear blue sky.

Aveline opened her eyes. The sky above her was a golden-pink one, and the dancer realized she had fallen asleep. She sat up rubbing her eyes, looking around. The horse was on the other side of the pool, peacefully grazing on the lush desert grass. Upon further investigation, Zhoom was nowhere in sight.

"Huh," she said quietly, scratching her head. The girl heard someone approach behind her. Before she could turn, a figure dropped against the dancer, their knees on either side of her. The figure's chest was pressed against Aveline's back, and she stiffened as a tattooed arm slid around her waist. Another followed suit, snaking gently around her. Aveline's heart beat wildly in her chest as she realized who it was.

"Zhoom, what're you-"

"Shhhhh…" he hushed, his breath sending goose bumps down her neck. His dark hair fell over her shoulder. "Just stay calm. We're not alone," he whispered. The girl's eyes widened, and Zhoom pressed his lips against the side of her head. "Easy. Don't move," he whispered into her ear. The ranger held her closer, the arm around her reaching for the hilt of his scimitar. Her heart pounded as he placed a kiss on her neck. With a flash, Zhoom unsheathed the sword. The blade sang in front of Aveline as the ranger made a backward strike. She heard a cry of surprise, and Zhoom was no longer sitting behind her. Aveline twisted around to see a cloaked figure fall in front of Zhoom. More appeared from the shadows of the foliage, unsheathing swords and daggers.

"Bandits!" Zhoom shouted at her over his shoulder. He gave a sharp whistle as the advancing figures attacked. Aveline backed to the edge of the pool as Zhoom fought to keep them back. Heeding its master's call, the horse plunged through the throng of bandits. It whinnied as it stood by Zhoom's side.

"Take the horse and get out of here!" the ranger called. Aveline stood frozen to the spot.

"I won't leave you, Zhoom!" she cried. The sand elf gave a shout as he preformed some sort of magic. Aveline shielded her eyes as a bright light followed. The dancer's eyes snapped open as she heard a roar. A large black beast crouched at Zhoom's side, golden armor strapped over its black fur. Its red eyes darted around

"Zixcy!" the ranger called, motioning toward the bandits. The creature roared and launched itself at the enemy. Zhoom quickly ran to Aveline. He lifted her onto the horse, hastily handing her the reins.

"The horse knows the way back. Keep going and don't stop," he ordered. Fear for the ranger's life clawed at Aveline's heart. She desperately placed her hands on either side of his tan face.

"No! I will not leave you!" she repeated.

"I'll be fine," the ranger assured her, lifting his left hand to her neck. With a strong gentleness, he pulled the girl to him. Zhoom pressed his lips against hers from atop the horse, Aveline kissed back, her heart fluttering. The kiss was broken as Zhoom hit the flat of his blade against the horse's flanks. Tears filled Aveline's eyes as the horse cantered away. Zhoom turned back to fighting the bandits. Aveline and the horse broke out of the oasis and into the desert.

"No…" the girl sobbed, the oasis getting smaller behind her. She frantically pulled on the reins, tried to turn the horse around. It gave a whinny, but ignored her directions.

"We have to go back!" she cried desperately, tears streaming down her tan cheeks, "We can't leave him!" But the horse continued to gallop away from the oasis, the sound of clanging blades becoming fainter.


End file.
